Ielts writing Task 2: ways to prepare

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

My students and I planned a 4-paragraph essay:

1. 
   Introduction: introduce the topic of helping poor countries, and agree that giving money is not the best way to help.
   
2. 
   Paragraph explaining why giving money is a bad idea.
   
3. 
   Paragraph explaining why other types of help are better.
   
4. 
   Conclusion: repeat the argument (investing is better than giving).
   

We discussed some ideas and wrote paragraph 2 together:

In my opinion, it is a bad idea to simply give financial aid to governments of poor countries. If rich countries do this, there is a risk that the money will not go to the people who need it most. Governments may misuse the money they are given because they do not have the resources or the know-how to tackle the causes of poverty. In some cases, corrupt politicians have become rich while their citizens continue to suffer. For these reasons, it is important for developed countries to find ways to invest in developing nations, instead of just donating money.

IELTS Writing Task 2: 'sports salaries' topic

As I've said before, you can't get a high score for IELTS writing task 2 if you don't have good ideas about the question topic. Here are some ideas from my ebook about the following question:

Some people believe that the salaries paid to professional sportspeople are too high, while others argue that sports salaries are fair.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

View 1: sports salaries are too high

• 
  Sports professionals earn too much money.
  
• 
  They do not provide a vital service.
  
• 
  Football players earn enormous salaries by simply kicking a ball.
  
• 
  We could all live happily without professional football.
  
• 
  We should value professionals such as nurses and teachers more highly.
  

View 2: sports salaries are fair

• 
  It is fair that the best sportspeople earn a lot of money.
  
• 
  Sport is a multi-million-pound industry.
  
• 
  There is a large audience of sports fans who are willing to pay.
  
• 
  Televised games or events attract many viewers.
  
• 
  Being a top sportsperson requires hours of practice.
  

IELTS Writing Task 2: band 9 paragraph

Below is a 'band 9' paragraph about the benefits of zoos. I took the vocabulary ideas from this lesson (click here) and organised them in the following way:

1. 
   Simple topic sentence.
   
2. 
   The main benefit is that...
   
3. 
   Another advantage of zoos is that...
   
4. 
   From a personal point of view,...
   

I've underlined the band 9 vocabulary.

Zoos have several benefits. The main benefit is that zoos play an important role in wildlife conservation. They help to protect endangered species, such as pandas or rhinos, and allow scientists to study animal behaviour. Another advantage of zoos is that they employ large numbers of people, therefore providing job opportunities and income for the local area. Also, the money that zoos make can be used for conservation projects. From a personal point of view, zoos are interesting, educational and fun. They are entertaining for families, and teach children to appreciate wildlife and nature.

IELTS Writing Task 2: idea, explain, example

A good way to write main body paragraphs is this: